Very cool, Bill. I do have a question about the Edwin Summer one though. Illinois has a marriage index that you can search here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ilsos.gov/GenealogyMWeb/marrsrch.html">http://www.ilsos.gov/GenealogyMWeb/marrsrch.html</a><!-- m --> and it lists Edwin S a...

I recently read The Book of William by Paul Collins about the story behind the First Folios of Shakespeare. It seems it was commonplace back then to print extra copies of the title pages of books and use them as advertisements. This was in 1623 so it predates Erdnase by quite a bit but the title pag...

Would anyone be interested in selling the bonus dvd from the Ackerman Erdnase set that contains, among other things, the Gardner-Smith correspondence in .pdf form? I would love to have the set but am most interested in the information regarding the search for Erdnase's identity.

John, I would be interested in this, mainly for information on the various editions, but the value information would be very useful to those currently collecting. I have seen many different editions offered at many different prices. Also, currently posted on youtube is part of an interview with Mart...

For those researching the Dalrymple lineage... Digging around in some old files I found the following that I received in the late 1990s regarding a Dalrymple-Sanders connection from an amateur researcher with whom I was in contact. David, I found the obit of Lewiss father in Cambridge, IL. I noted ...

The only image that I have seen of the first edition is the small one on erdnase.com. If someone could guide me to a better image I would appreciate it. I wouldn't think the acorns would be a clue but you never know. I would guess it was a standard affectation thaty could be applied if the customer ...

That is going to be a massive amount of cousins to sort through. How many of them have you tracked down? Let me know and I can take a branch that has not yet been done. Thanks, Jeff I've traced Louis Dalrymple's paternal line, including cousins. Where I've been able to find spouses' names, I've tra...

We don't know much about Louis's father's family -- Did he (William L. Dalrymple) have brothers or sisters? Nieces or nephews? Louis Dalrymple's father, William, was one of eight children born to Jacob and Phoebe Dalrymple (nee Lewis). Jacob Dalrymple (Louis's grandfather) was himself one of nine c...

You are absolutely correct but with so few clues I think that this one should be followed up on until it dead-ends. It is also possible that a client told Smith that he was related to Dalrymple but Erdnase wasn't that client.

Here's some background on Adelia Dalrymple and her descendants: She lived, according to the 1900 census, with her daughter and son-in-law, Kate (Catherine E.) and James P. Byron (a druggist and Dr.), and their son, Ralph, in Deming, NM. In 1900, Deming was part of Grant County. In 1901, that part o...

With all due respects I find great interest in the research many have provided. Some of you guys really are interesting and I hope sometime to meet you in person. Geno, I feel the same way. This mystery has so many facets and the number of different discliplines that go into investigating it is amaz...

Jeff, I agree that the Dalrymple angle is one that could well bear fruit. My understanding is that his death was likely due to syphilis (as mentioned in the link) and perhaps that had something to do with the unusual terms of his divorce (not allowing him to remarry in New York State... for health ...

This is a bit off the current topic but Allan Holtz, who runs a comic strip history blog called Strippers Guide, was kind enough to provide some info on the death of Louis Dalrymple in answer to a question that I asked him. If you click the link below and scroll down to the entry for 8/31/09 there a...

To the best of my knowledge, the only convention appearance by Marshall Smith was the 1947 SAM Convention in Chicago that May. The program includes a photo of Smith circa 1902, one of his paintings, and an article by Martin Gardner, The Mystery of Erdnase (reprinted in Darwin Ortiz's THE ANNOTATED ...

Does anybody out there have any programs/notes etc. that show appearances by Marshall D. Smith, the illustrator of The Expert at the Card Table? The relevant years appear to be 1946-1973. I am looking to find out where he appeared in search of info that Smith may have given about Erdnase. This is co...

Sebastien & Mr. Kaufman, I am glad to know that this is all backed up so it will not be lost. Roger M, Thanks for the info about Smith speaking at conventions. Along that line does anyone have any info about which conventions or magic meetings that Marshall D. Smith spoke at. From what I underst...

I would like to begin by thanking all those who have contributed to this thread, particularly Mr. Alexander, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Kaufman. Reading this full thread over the past several weeks I was awed at the amount of work and ingenuity that has gone into this search. I have several thoughts that I ...

I am interested in the history and techniques of card cheats. I have read Phantoms of the Card Table and The Magician and the Cardsharp and enjoyed them both. I am looking for similiar books that are a blend of the techniques and the history. I have not yet read Road Hustler but I will soon. I would...